


A Small Break

by someonecallhere



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 16:12:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17165126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonecallhere/pseuds/someonecallhere
Summary: While traveling through space a very important day comes up. Of course the team has stop to recognize it.





	A Small Break

**Author's Note:**

> My beta readers have been celebrating Christmas, so unfortunately no one has read over this. But I wanted to post this today. Enjoy!

It was Pidge who first noticed as she updated the earth clock most of the team used. She mentioned it to Hunk who jumped to fix the problem.

“Guys! We have to find a planet. Now!”

“Paladin,” Coran’s mustache popped up in what should’ve been Pidge’s screen. He was currently traveling in the Green Lion. “What’s the matter?”

“Ah! No time, no time! There’s a habitable planet thirty dobashes ahead.” And with a flare of the Yellow Lion’s thrusters, Hunk pulled ahead.

“Hunk! It’s not that big of a deal right now!” Pidge said, the Green Lion quickly following Yellow.

The other travelers were left with unanswered questions, until they too followed the other two lions. The planet turned out to actually be a moon. But it was filled with vegetation and canyons. As they landed in a canyon, the gas planet that the moon orbited filled the edge of the horizon. One of the rings of the planet visible and softly glowing a dark blue.

By the time the other paladins landed, Hunk was already scurrying around setting up camp, “Guys, it’s Christmas!”

Lance’s jaw dropped and within seconds he was next to Hunk, setting up camp as well. Pidge shook her head at their speed, but joined in. Shiro stepped in with a smile, “We don’t have any decorations, like a tree.”

Lance paused in the middle of carrying boxes, “Good idea, go find a tree Shiro.” He set the boxes down in front of Pidge and Hunk who immediately opened them, discussing food.

Shiro turned to Keith, “Do you want to help me find a tree?”

Keith took a look at the other three paladins: Lance was currently shouting meal suggestions of ‘rice’ and ‘beans’ to Hunk and Pidge. The two of them were either arguing or debating an aspect of the upcoming meal. Pidge had clambered on top of a box to make her point.

Keith’s shoulders sank a little as he took in the scene, “I’m definitely coming to help you.”

Krolia looked after the two of them jet-packing from rock to rock up the canyon wall and back to the mess that would become camp. Gesturing to the Alteans, “All right. Let’s help.”

“Help with what exactly?” Romelle asked edging away from the growing mess. She had her hands clasped behind her back and a fake smile plastered on her face, as Hunk grabbed food items from the boxes to make his point.

“The human holiday, Christmas.”

“Oh! A human holiday! Do they have those often?” Coran asked, getting up close into Krolia’s personal space. His mustache twitched in excitement.

“It felt like every few spicolian movements honestly.” Krolia said, stepping backwards and reaching over to a stack of materials for fuel for a fire.

“Why haven’t the other paladins said anything then?” Allura asked, bending down to pick up the fire starter.

“Honestly as far as I can tell, the paladins all come from different areas of their planet. I heard that there are a lot of cultures on their one planet.” Krolia said, stacking the fire fuel in a way for the best start of the bonfire.

Allura and the others paused to take a moment to look at the array of the coloring and size of the assembled paladins.

“So why this holiday? This Christmas?” Allura asked starting the fire.

As the flames licked their way up the material, Hunk stuck some dried meat over a spit to warm as Pidge warm a pot of Kaltenecker’s milk.

“What are you doing with that Green Paladin?” Romelle asked.

Pidge murmured, “Hot chocolate.”

“It’s Christmas tradition!” Hunk said, eyeing his work and then clapping his hands.

Those two went back to the mess of boxes, now apparent that they were mainly of food.

“Why Christmas?” Coran asked.

At the same time Allura asked, “What’s Christmas?”

Krolia started turning the smoked meat, which all the humans agreed tasted familiar and good, but none could place. Hunk had found it in a planet’s main market, apparently a few weeks, or apparently years ago—depending on your view of the recent battle in the rift. As Krolia focused on her task, she said, “Christmas seemed to be the culmination of their holidays. It involved a religion of Earth. As well as a focus on abundance—whether giving to others less fortunate or giving to your prosperity.” Her eyes flicked up to the top of the canyon wall briefly. “It mainly involves gift-giving and gatherings of loved ones. There seemed to be a lot of food involved, as well.”

“Like the almost-rice Hunk found from Xa’da!” Lance said, placing his pot over the fire, with a smile at Allura’s thoughtful face.

“Ah! So favorite foods and the such!” Coran said. He clapped his hands together and rushed back towards the Lions and a box that sat untouched.

“Though we don’t have much for gifts.” Allura said, looking at Romelle. Both were rather helpless at this problem.

There was the whoosh of a jetpack that interrupted them and Keith and Shiro descended from the canyon top. They landed with a thump and Lance and Pidge made exclamations at their tree. Yes it was deciduous, but it was white and still glowed slightly—despite it being cut. With a quick blast from Lance’s bayard, they made a hole for the tree to stand in.

Lance circled the tree with a critical eye. “It needs decorations! Shiro, Keith you’re with me. Check the Green and Yellow Lions. Hunk and Pidge keep weird odds and ends. Allura, Romelle, and Kro—”

Krolia studiously turned the warmed meat, despite Hunk’s attempts to take it off the spit.

“Okay. Allura, Romelle. You’re going to help us make decorations.”

“Decoration?” Allura asked.

“To rock the tree!” Lance exclaimed.

Shiro held up a light that he had found as he exited the Green Lion, “The decorations go on the tree to make it look extra nice.”

“Oh!” Allura said, “I’m thinking a snarlkus.”

“Yes!” Romelle clapped her hands. “Exactly!”

The two women wandered toward the Blue Lion discussing the fact that some Altean traditions survived 10,000 years and propaganda.

Soon the tree was decorated with lights, Pidge’s spinning gizmos—one of which almost took Lance’s finger off—some shiny knives Keith found, and other knickknacks the paladins found in the lions. Allura and Romelle emerged out of the Blue Lion holding a mesh of wires and string between them. After some rearranging the two of them placed the mesh over the top of the tree.

Allura looked up at it, “On Altea we would place the snarlkus over trees on the equinox every deca-phoeb.” In the evening light the metal pieces that had been woven into it sparkled.

Coran rushed back to the group with a bowl and declared he had made some Paladin’s Special, which was discretely pushed to the side. Hunk added fuel to the fire and instructed people to sit down as he started passing out sliced meat, which everyone agreed might have been called grok from the planet Direib. Hunk heaped Lance’s and his own plate high with the rice-like plant, and sat down as Pidge handed out the mugs of hot chocolate.

Once she was settled, everyone raised their mug to the center and murmured a Merry Christmas, before digging into their food.

It was Lance who first broke the silence, “Back on Earth, I bet my family is having their meal while Marco plays whatever song crosses his mind. Every third song has to be a Christmas song. Victoria would share stories from the Garrison. And I finally feel like I can out-story her stories now! And Luis had just gotten married, I wonder if he has any kids yet. If so, Mom and Dad probably went crazy with Christmas presents and treats.”

“Haha, yeah. My family has a huge meal, but once everyone is stuffed we sit back and play Bingo.” Hunk said, scooping up a spoonful of rice.

Stories and traditions overflowed in the circle of travelers gathered around their tree—the trunk faintly glowing in the night—and a fire at their backs. As the humans explained more and more what Christmas meant to them, the Alteans shared their holiday experiences: Allura and Coran in the palace. Romelle spending it with her parents and brother.

Some stories brought back sorrow and ended with the speaker and listeners looking at the distance between stars in the sky.

But another story would be started and the attention would be dragged from the past to the person sharing.

Yawns slowly emerged in the circle, as the moon they rested on orbited behind the planet.

As they contemplated getting up to sleep, Shiro spoke up from where he rested against Cosmo, “Krolia, what traditions do you have for the holidays?”

Keith lifted his chin from his knees where he sat next to Cosmo, an arm curled around his legs.

“Ah yeah! What traditions does Keith have to uphold!?” Lance said, jumping up from his seat.

Krolia looked surprised for a second at being the center of attention, but then she smiled and looked into the fire. “Between the Galra Empire and the Blade, I don’t believe I have any traditions.”

She looked up at the people gathered around the tree. “But I believe this would be a wonderful way to start one. Friends, food, and hot…chocolate.”

Pidge handed her a fresh, full mug of the beverage with a smile.

It was quiet, the fire snapping in the background. The planet now blocked out the stars, a second ring of the planet appeared on the horizon.

Allura arose and set down her plate and mug. “Thank you all for sharing and introducing this Christmas with me. I’m with Krolia where I would love to have a tradition like this every deca-phoeb. But unfortunately tomorrow we’ll be traveling again.”

The mice finished spot-cleaning her plate and she picked it up and placed it in the portable dishwasher. The other followed suit, but Allura was still the first to her lion. Before she entered, she paused and rolled the phrase around in her mouth, before saying with a smile, “Merry Christmas!”

**Author's Note:**

> As I said above, no one has edited this or fact checked it. I also haven't had the chance to look up every fact from the series. That'll be the next thing to do: rewatch the series! Merry Christmas!


End file.
